Historically, The Cure and The Smiths have had much tension. This tension has even reached listeners—most fans despise one band yet adore the other. But why have we become so defensive?

It all began in 1984, with the rivalry between Robert Smith and Steven Morrissey, the frontmen of The Cure and The Smiths. These men have uttered maniacal things about each other during interviews. Morrissey was the first to speak poorly about Smith and his band, The Cure.

Morrissey often called Smith insulting, childish names. He also made it very clear that he “never liked the Cure,” causing drama in the media. In response to these words, Smith shared that he finds Morrissey and his music to be “so depressing” and inducing of suicide. As time progressed, the men continued to throw harsh words at each other, and soon enough, this rivalry spread to listeners of the bands.

While it is stated that relations between the frontmen have been mended and that this entire rivalry was over-exaggerated, fans still remain defensive regarding their preferences. This caused me to wonder whether the HSMSE community prefers The Cure or The Smiths, and I’ve certainly received an answer.

Results from a school-wide survey reveal that the HSMSE community prefers The Smiths. In fact, roughly 64% of respondents voted for The Smiths rather than The Cure. The community’s favorite song is also The Smiths’ “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now.”

One reason why so many listeners prefer The Smiths is that the group receives great amounts of attention from modern-day media. For instance, one student simply wrote that “The Smiths make better music… and it was in 500 Days of Summer.” Not too many of the people who responded to the survey were familiar with The Cure, and some even recognized this. One student responded, “The Cure [hasn’t] made Pretty Girls Make Graves. Also I don’t know The Cure.” 

Others note that The Smiths’ singing is more distinct or creative. One student wrote that it’s the only band they “can think of that sounds anything like them.” This can be attributed to singer Morrissey’s unique voice. Some respondents describe Morrissey’s voice as “incredible” and even “heavenly.” However, multiple others described his voice as “whiny.” 

From this survey, it is safe to say that Morrissey is a prominent reason why some people no longer like The Smiths. Morrissey has uttered vast amounts of inappropriate statements that reflect poorly on him and, consequently, The Smiths. Multiple respondents have shared that his controversy is one of the reasons why they do not like The Smiths, and instead prefer The Cure.

Besides this, the release of The Cure’s new and “shockingly fantastic” album, Songs of a Lost World, has also made an impact on voters. Some individuals mentioned that they enjoy listening to this album, and that it adds to The Cure’s “more impressive” discography. 

While I can certainly think of more reasons why one may prefer The Cure over The Smiths, I cannot change the fact that almost two-thirds of our surveyed community prefers The Smiths. Well, heaven knows I’m miserable now.